P2E (play-to-earn) games have been around for quite a while now. Numerous platforms have entered the market, each trying something different and at least somewhat unique to differentiate itself from the pack.
It’s only natural, as you want your platform to succeed and offer something novel and exciting to vast audiences. However, many of them still boil down to the same thing — they urge you to buy generic things in the game, often in the form of NFTs and novel cryptocurrencies. When you put it like that, they bring nothing new to the table — they are just using newer technologies to offer the same things as free-to-play games.
This makes them, well, a bit boring. After all, is it really as simple as this? Could it be that the entire gaming industry is effectively the same? In a nutshell, yes, if you explain it in such a simplistic way.
That’s why we wanted to truly examine P2E platforms, as they are still incredibly important for the market and have the potential to revolutionize it. Let’s see what makes so many of them boring and what they need to do to become exciting once again and potentially lead us into the new future of gaming.
The Boring Part
This opinion might be controversial: in fact, some might even say we want to end P2E as a model. However, that’s not the case. We are well aware of how important it has become for the whole gaming industry.
A typical gamer spends more than eight hours per week on their favorite games, and we are sure that P2E platforms take up a big portion of that time. Plus, this model doesn’t just let players buy things in games — it also allows them to create something unique and even build a whole world.
As you can see, each player gets the chance to change the game with their creations entirely. Therefore, the developers no longer have to design captivating games that will occupy every player in the same way — now, the players themselves get to let their imaginations run wild and create something entirely new.
Simply put — it’s incredible. However, the model has not lived up to its potential. So many developers are sacrificing the fun-first element and focusing on creating a highly-functional P2E element.
Several have tried to come up with something new here, but they primarily focus on tokenomics and forget that a game has to be entertaining above all. On the other hand, there are those who don’t forget about this aspect — they simply choose to create a platform that will yield them a fortune. Finally, some are just in it because it’s a popular type of platform. They hardly think things through and end up creating a boring product.
So many of these platforms are bleeding players dry without offering enough bang for the buck. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons why some of the bigger names in the industry are losing players. For instance, Axie Infinity saw its player count fall below the one million mark early in May.
The P2E model is flawed, and things need to change.
What P2E Platforms Need to Do to Improve
The simple solution to the problem is to create fun platforms. However, many developers are actually trying to do that: the issue is that they often sacrifice the entertaining part in order to make their game work the way they want it to.
They forget that many of their adjustments are not necessary. You don’t have to sacrifice the fun-first view when creating a Web3 platform. If you focus on the fun part, the P2E elements will automatically follow and fit in organically. Even less fleshed-out P2E elements will become near-perfect if the platform itself is enjoyable.
A great example of this is Fashion League. This new Web3 platform is being built with compelling P2E elements, but it is first developed to be entertaining. The game focuses on fashion, and players get absolute freedom to create their own clothes and clothing stores, become virtual designers, and sell, rent, or trade their creations. The NFT and crypto element is still there, but it rewards players for their imagination — it doesn’t exist solely to make money for the developers.
It’s just one of the many ways P2E platforms can avoid becoming boring by creating a compelling experience that will be rewarding for both the developers and the gamers.
The Future of P2Es
Despite what we’ve said so far, we believe P2E has a bright future. Even though there are some developers who create boring games, others work hard to develop something fun and exciting. We expect the latter to be the leaders of the industry and the ones who will push it forward.
The technology behind P2E platforms will only continue to evolve and surpass everything else. It’s up to P2E platform creators to use it in the right way and truly earn the time and effort players are prepared to put into these games. As long as they don’t sacrifice the fun-first approach, they are bound to succeed.
DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect The Crypto Basic opinion. Readers are encouraged to do thorough research before making any investment decisions. The Crypto Basic is not responsible for any financial losses.
